Fat Trel On Wale: "He's Not From My Side"

Fat Trel: "I just want to express the lifestyle of a young Black teenager coming from Washington D.C. who is coming from the opposite train tracks of Wale."

In a recent feature detailing his Maybach Music Group debut for XXL, Fat Trel explained wanting to show an alternative portrait of his hometown area than that provided by rapper Wale.

“It’s a perfect story from a young nigga who ain’t never have shit to come up,” Fat Trel said of his mixtape Gleesh. “I think that’s what my story is. I just want to express the lifestyle of a young Black teenager coming from Washington D.C., who is coming from the opposite train tracks of Wale.

“A lot of people look at Wale and they think that’s the vision and that’s how they are,” he continued. “You know, he’s not from my side. He didn’t grow up doing the things that I did. I didn’t graduate high school. I wasn’t thinking about college. I didn’t think about the Jordan IIIs or the Sabado bucket hats. Balenciaga jackets. That wasn’t my lifestyle. I just want people to see the truth coming out of Washington D.C…..The truth is I am a young savage who comes from the worst streets of Washington D.C. But, I also have a heart. I’m a family man. I’m a cancer so I love a lot. I’m sensitive about my music. I care about what people think about me. I just want people to know that this is a genuine rapper. I’m not a nigga looking for a check.”

Referencing his controversy-stirring cover art depicting Gleeactress Lea Michelle, Trel credited his graphic designer with the inspiration. “I'ma be honest, it wasn’t my idea,” he said. “My graphic designer, I’ve known him for years. He’s like my bro, so we play around with a lot of shit. I guess through my career of rap, I don’t know how I did it. I’m kind of looked at as a sex idol. When you look at me, people think of sex like girls. The Slutty Boyz lifestyle. It’s real. When the cover came through, I just thought it was a genius idea because the show Glee is doing so well. I have a specific nickname. You don’t hear gleesh nowhere except for my city or when you hear gleesh, they talking about me. I think to go with it is genius besides the controversy that we knew was going to come. The backlash and the hate, we needed all that, so we gonna rock out with the streets and the bad energy and make it all work. That’s why we went with it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Fat Trel broke down wanting to spend time with the artists he collaborates with and getting to know his fellow MMG labelmates. “I spent time with [MMG] before working with them,” he said. “I spent time with Rockie [Fresh] in New York, when Ross released Mastermind. We did the show Wild 'n Out and a few other things. When I had my show in Texas at SXSW, I spent that time alone with Stalley. I got to see what kind of person he was. We spent two, three days together talking about sports, basketball, fashion. I really wanted our relationships to be genuine. That’s why there’s not a song with Meek [Mill] because I didn't spend time with him. I didn’t spend one on one time with Meek. I wanted to be that genuine. I could have sent him ten records to put a verse on. I could have sent 20 records for Gunplay to put a verse on. I could have sent five records for Omarion to put a hook on. I didn’t want it that way. I wanted to spend time with them. Get to know them as an artist, so when the songs come out its that real. It’s not put together.

“Me and Stalley, we did 'Thot Street,'" he said. “We rode down Texas and saw a lot of thots on one street so that’s why we went with 'Thot Street.' Me and Rockie, we talked a lot about fashion. That’s why we rode with the song ‘Fresh.’ It was a great feeling, you know what I am saying? More music to come.”

167 Comments

RealTalk

Anonymous

Anonymous

This fool is still in the era where people viewed black people who went to school as "dumb". This fool sounds like if u black and smart,or if u can read and speak properly u aint gangsta or u aint cool.Could some one bring some trumped up charges and lock this Ignorant nig-ger up. We have come too far as a people to hv fools like this on our TV.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

MMG is full of disloyal bums. Seems like just last year Trel was dissing Wale and Ross."
Trel had an arguement with wale but friends have arguements right? It's the diss songs and leaving the labels that make them disloyal. Ross probably had an arguement or 2 with meek and wale every now and then. Still makes them friends. Not like 50 kicking off game and buck.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Mac Miller is a boss. He made as much as Rick Ross last year without a gang of niggas signed to his label or a chain of chicken restaurants."
Quit copying and pasting bullshit. Rick Ross made more than mac last year. He donated most of it to charity and that's why his net worth is lower. It's not about the money, its about the people you inspire. Rick Ross is dope while Mac is shit.

Anonymous

You're the only one copying-pasting bullshit. Ross made the same amount as Mac Miller and only donates to yourself. You don't believe that "it's not about the money" bullshit. Also, you have it backwards, Ross is the wack one.

@Bruthadee

Anonymous

"Most people dont know that one of Wale most loyal base is the HBCU crowd, they are a demographic that cant be ignored just ask 2-Chainz. i think there is this misconception that if you are not a criminal then you are forbidden from rapping but Cole, and Wale both went Gold off college bitches."
Same with Mac Miller, his college tour broke records they love him on that side but I never heard any of his songs. Chicks buy albums thats why Drake is at the top of the game and Fat Trel is calling himself a sex symbol.

Anonymous

Anonymous

" thats why Drake is at the top of the game and Fat Trel is calling himself a sex symbol."
No, Fat Trel is calling himself a sex symbol because he smoked too much weed and has become delusion like his boss William.

Anonymous

Anonymous

BeatBillionaire is from ATL and he helped Tracy T from ATL get signed with MMG
Wale is from DC and he helped Fat Trel from DC get signed ro MMG
Meek is from Philly, he got on and got Loui V Gutta from Philly on
Lets take over the world.

BACARDI

Duce Poppi was signed to Slip N Slide now he is Ross hypeman, he had a regional hit back in the day called "My White Friends" but he changed his name to Whole Slab.
Decent rapper but nowhere as skilled as Brisco or IceBerg.

Anonymous

Gd??

Real DMV

I will be the first to tell you that unless somebody moved into the DC/MD/NoVA area that was already reppin. There's no official Folk Nation/GD/BOSS members or sets around here. Trel is from E Street in Northeast DC, around here we don't have too much gang action its all crews & hoods. Come to any gogo and find out about it. Now if you had 30minutes up the beltway, you might find some official gang members in Bmore, them niggas dont give two fucks bout nothin.

Anonymous

Anonymous

"TMZDX ties to stir up drama and negative stuff which is why they post so many 50 articles compared to indie pendant artists. The world needs the Trels and the Wales not just one or the other because at the end of the day they are both Black men who lived the Black experience in America."
Most people dont know that one of Wale most loyal base is the HBCU crowd, they are a demographic that cant be ignored just ask 2-Chainz. i think there is this misconception that if you are not a criminal then you are forbidden from rapping but Cole, and Wale both went Gold off college bitches.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Of course they want to divide us and make this look like an insult because they thrive off our division but the fact remains that when Wale got in position he reached back and gave his brother the same opportunity he was given. Regardless how tough your individual neighborhood was we are still Black men in America which makes us a threat to these Devils.

Bruthadee

Anonymous

Anonymous

Birdman is genius in his moves, he can afford to give a white boy a ride and in exchange that white boy will give Birdman his vocals and his publicity and help generate revenue from the white pop audience who are fascinated with Blaxk culture.

Anonymous

Anonymous

What kind of street rapper would want to sign with a sensitive ass hipster poet like Wale who's signed to a law enforcement officer? Master P would have been a better choice.
Fat Trel used to diss Ross and Wale so you can tell what kind of person he is.

Anonymous

Ambition

If you think Ross is Law a enforcement the I guarantee you are either white or you listen to 50 Cent in 2014. Trolling white asked why Fat Trel would sign to Black men instead of some white klansman who dresses up as a woman like 50 Cent did.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

A "HUSTLER" by definition, when you are in a community like Miami the hustle gets dropped in your lap, your boys, your cousins, your uncles, your associates, your affiliates your family, somebody selling weed, powder, hard, pills, and everything else you could think of. Some times you might get fronted a pack, sometimes your boys want you to put up on a pack, sometimes you get your own pack and bubble on your own.
Most everybody from that environment has dabbled in the trade to different degrees especially the up and coming rappers because the D Boys front you work and give you money because they either want their hooks in you if you make it or because they genuinely see talent in you and want you to make it out the city so you can give back.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Fat Trel wasnt saying it in a negative sense he was just stating the fact that they are from different parts of DC.
Besides as long as you grew up around your own people and not around white people your music should reflect that, what are the demographics of your hood and your High school?

@TooFamouz_RAi

he signed to wale under mmg.. why do yall think he talking down on wale? STOP SAYING DUMB SHIT PEOPLE (the dumb ppl lls).. GET AN EDUCATION OR AT LEAST LEARN HOW TO USE COMMON SENSE... Fat Trel is just saying he telling how DC's niggas really is & how coming up in DC really is.. it is not glits & glamour its gutta.. its a shootout every night.. hoods dont like each other.. its hella robbing everywhere in the DMV area.. its just plain bad unless u in downtown lol.. just like chicago but milder n a way.. thats all he is saying.. Wale is not portraying that (which is not a bad thing) he's just acknowledging that

DX Staff

Yeah, because we need more poets and "lyricists" like Fat Trel LOLOLOLOLOL. And 50 Cent isn't the only artist we give maximum exposure to. We give ALL artists some type of exposure before they release an album, whether they're independent or mainstream.

Anonymous

Anonymous

TMZDX ties to stir up drama and negative stuff which is why they post so many 50 articles compared to indie pendant artists. The world needs the Trels and the Wales not just one or the other because at the end of the day they are both Black men who lived the Black experience in America.

Anonymous

Jermaine

Man it's not their fault. These kids are brainwashed with this social media crap and websites. They let HipHopdx dictate their mindset. Hip Hop Dx put the title 'He's not from my side" to make it seem like a diss. Then these kids run with it. HipHopdx is getting terrible. The title should have said"Fat Trel speaks on MMG lablemates".

Really

Question
If Wale said he was from the streets and rapped like a street guy, what would you all say thing? (He's fake, he's lying he ain't never lived that life)
But since he never said he was from the streets and don't portray that image you hating ass niggas still complain. Half of you clown ass niggas will hate on your owe blood i bet.

Anonymous

Anonymous

White trolls keep repeating that Ross grew up in a nice area in Miami Gardens but you never hear anybody from Miami saying that, you never hear Trick Daddy or people from Miami that Ross has beef with say that. Its a fact he went to Carol City Senior High for four years so when you look at the racial makeup of his High School it directly reflects the racial makeup of his organization and his music.

Anonymous

Anonymous

He's looked at as a sex idol? LOLOL Perfect for MMG, he's delusional just like Ross.
Newsflash, having bitch tits and not wearing a shirt doesn't make you a sex idol. Eating strippers assholes on twitpics doesn't make you a sex idol.

DCMetroYoungin

I hope this gives clarity to people who don't know where Wale & Fat Trel are from.... Wale is from the DMV, which means he's spent time in DC, MD, and VA. His family resides all over the DMV which he's spent time in. the DMV represents the DC Metro area. But it is not solely the DC streets which Fat Trel is referring to.
I'm from Montgomery County, MD a place where Wale went to high school briefly. My wifes from PG County, Wale is personally known all over PG from Landover to Bowie to Largo (Not necessarily the nicest places, do your research. As a kid growing up in the DC suburbs we got a lot of influence from the streets of DC, from music to fashion, to other trends. But being solely from the DC suburbs, DC niggas don't really acknowledge us. But regardless, Our swag is DC influenced.
Now take a second to think about this... In the Atlanta scene you have people from all over the Atlanta area who rep atlanta but aren't really from Atlanta proper (the city). Some of these rappers include, Young Jeezy (Decatur, GA), Ludacris (College Park, GA) and many others. But they're never shunned or pointed out by other actual rappers from the streets of ATL. However that's how it is in DC. That's why Wale says our area is the hardest to make it in, and it's the truth...
Let me go back in the story for a little bit and say that Fat Trel spent some time attending a high school in Maryland, but due to behavior he was kicked out and ended up going back to DC.
We all play in each others back yard. All the best clubs are in DC so where do u think a nigga like me gonna go out on a Saturday night when DC is only 10-15 minutes away?
All the major hip hop (Street) radio stations for DC are located in MARYLAND. WPGC 95.5, WKYS 93.9...
The Washington Redskins play in Landover, Maryland just minutes outside of DC.
So for all the niggas who are not even from the area who don't even know, now you know... And for all the street DC niggas, most of yall got some type of family in Maryland/northern VA. And yall have sometype of animosity about niggas from Maryland claiming DC but really, it's a whole DMV culture that you're choosing to be oblivious to. Maybe if you saved your money or hustled hard enough you could travel outside of the streets of DC.
P.S. street shit happens outside of Washington DC too. In the suburbs of Mo. County and PG County less than 10-15 minutes away.
And if you look at it this way, FAT Trel got his deal with MMG through his affiliation with Wale, a Maryland nigga. Think about that one for a second.. Then think about how this article tried to make Trel's words seem like he was discrediting Wale. I'll wait....

Anonymous

Anonymous

Respect the info, Its the same in my city, places where you have large Black populations like
South Central, Miami, NY, ATL, and DC always have large Black areas that are better and worse than others but Black nonetheless.
Why does Wale watch wrestling? Why do YOU listen to HipHop?

Ya Grandpa

@DCMetroYoungin
Thanks for that post, maybe if some of these foolish minded bloggers will read it they will learn something.
I've been telling my friends that for years abouth the ATL scene. Everybody reps ATL but most of them aren't from there but nobody called them out. For the most part they all tried to break bread and eat together.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Gleeshboy

Truth be told DCMetroYoungin!! Im from the Caribbean and I lived in DC for 9 years. This is exactly an accurate description of DMV life.
Everything you mentioned is true about the clubs, radio stations, sports teams and especially about the perspective of how people on the outskirts of DC are looked upon
Another thing is, there are many ppl who reside in PG County, MD that are actually from Washington,DC that used to live there but due to gentrification and high rent have moved out there as a cheaper alternative.

Anonymous

614grind

glospot.biz

Fat trel does have a point. i've been to DC and wale represents the street aspect of DC about as good as will smith did for philly. although i can't seem to notice the animosity coming from trel. it almost seemed he was upset with wale himself for having a different upbringing. hip-hop is about expressing yourself through music. i could be reading it wrong an maybe he does have records with wale, but this interview made it seem like he had no interest in doing so

COCA

"I guess through my career of rap, I dont know how I did it. Im kind of looked at as a sex idol. When you look at me, people think of sex like girls. The Slutty Boyz lifestyle. Its real."
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

Anonymous

wale corny as hell

im from dc bruh and truth be told nobody ever fucked with wale out here. everyone thought he was just corny and people in dc still think he's corny. he crossed over to the mainstream with the help of rick ross and a great production team, but like fabolous said before in an interview: "if u a lame u a lame period. if u got money then u just a lame with money." wale is a corny rapper nobody in dc fucks with him.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

He has a Gold selling album, and been on platinum singles, 3.5 million Twitter follows and 1.4 million followers on Instagram. his most popular video on YouTube is at 33 million views. Wale is a Grammy nominated artist an he has won BET and Soul Train awards but his music is primarily consumed by Black people so many bloggers are unfamiliar with his fan base.

614grind

Anonymous

Rob C

Your a piece of shit. You know who took an L? Our African ancestors that got brought to this country in chains. Our grand parents that had to sit at the back of the bus! Our neighbors that get hung from trees! Rodney King took an L and so did Trayvon Martin and thousands of others and your putting another brother down to raise your self esteem? Your negative energy is coming back to screw you!!

Anonymous

Wale = L

DX Staff

"HHDX used a TMZ type headline to generate more views but Wale helped Trel get signed so their is no beef or drama just different sides of D.C."
HipHopDX does this, HipHopDX does that. And yet ingrates like yourself stay checking out our motherfucking website. DX never slips, my nigga, you can count on that.

Anonymous

"^not really, i don't listen to wale but from what i understand he doesnt talk about street shit or try to portray a thug type image..so to say that he's not from the gutter like slutty boy gleesh is aint going to hurt wales image at all
-SluttyBoy Garth"
Wale aint from the gutter but that's a good thing I listen to Wale music because he has some nice lyrics I really dont care what city or state he is from.

SluttyBoy Tito

SluttyBoy Garth

^not really, i don't listen to wale but from what i understand he doesnt talk about street shit or try to portray a thug type image..so to say that he's not from the gutter like slutty boy gleesh is aint going to hurt wales image at all
-SluttyBoy Garth

Rayvon

Anonymous

He didn't shit on Wale he simply said they are from different parts of D.C..
HHDX used a TMZ type headline to generate more views but Wale helped Trel get signed so their is no beef or drama just different sides of D.C.

IROC

Sorry Fat Trel all the ghetto tales have been told you cant bring no more gangsta shit to the table we havent heard how bout surprising us and spit some knowledge of course we will only hear bout bitches guns dope dealing and going to jail and what type of whip you driving thru the hood ,same shit different rap slave on the mic